SYNOPSIS:Filmed over the course of nearly three years, the filmmakers use unique access and never before heard testimonies to tell a story of the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history on December 14, 2012. Newtown documents a traumatized community fractured by grief and driven toward a sense of purpose. Joining the ranks of a growing club to which no one wants to belong, a cast of characters interconnect to weave an intimate story of community resilience.

BIOS:Kim A. Snyder’s most recent film, NEWTOWN premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and was hailed in Entertainment Weekly as among the “Best of Sundance.” NEWTOWN will continue to screen at premiere festivals worldwide and is poised to have a theatrical release in September 2016, with a national broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens in early 2017.

Maria Cuomo Cole is the award-winning producer of the feature documentary, Newtown, which will be premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. In her career, she has tackled such relevant subjects as gun violence, homelessness, veterans’ PTSD, Domestic Violence and sexual assault.

Most recently, she executive produced The Hunting Ground, directed by Kirby Dick. The award winning film has been lauded as a powerful investigation into the epidemic of sexual assaults on college campuses. In 2012, Ms. Cuomo Cole worked with the same film team, executive producing the 2014 Oscar® nominated documentary, The Invisible War. This groundbreaking documentary about the epidemic of rape and sexual violence in the U.S. military, which served as a catalyst for federal legislation and enacted federal policy reforms. For this film, she was awarded two Emmy® awards and a Peabody.

Cuomo Cole’s 2011 documentary, Living for 32, about gun laws in America, was short listed for an Academy Award® and premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In collaboration with national communities of gun violence survivors, faith leaders, political leaders and nonprofits, the film has served as a catalyst for awareness and advocacy on the subject of federal and state legislative reform across the country.

Since 1992, she has led HELP USA, the national nonprofit leader in both homeless prevention and development of permanent supportive service housing for special needs populations including veterans, and survivors of domestic violence. HELP USA’s 40 locations serve communities across the United States and to date have served over 350,000 men, women and children.

The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501c3 organization with a mission to present an
annual program and year-round schedule of film,
music, and art-related activities that promote
artists, culture,
inspired learning, and diversity. The Woodstock Film Festival is made
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funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.